Some military in combat could vote electronically

Voting via email is no longer just for online surveys: a bill that passed the Texas Senate on Tuesday would permit electronic voting for some members of the U.S. Military in combat.

Under House Bill 1129, Secretary of State John Steen would choose a county to participate in the pilot program until Sept. 1, 2015. Members of the military working in combat zones would then be able to cast ballots using their secure email addresses, so long as they’re registered, said the bill’s senate sponsor, Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio.

“We don’t want to disenfranchise anyone,” she said. “Can you imagine, to vote by mail in Fallujah…you’re in a combat zone.”

She said she wasn’t sure which county Steen would choose as the pilot, but said it likely will be Bexar County, Hood County or El Paso County. Steen’s office said it was too early to speculate on which county would be selected.

Last election, about 2,000 ballots in Texas were disqualified because the voter wasn’t registered properly, Steen’s office has said. About 4,000 Federal Voting Assistance Program ballots, which are used by absentee voters including military members stationed overseas, had to be rejected during the last election in Texas, officials have said. In Bexar County, about 200 of the 9,000 military ballots received last election had to be thrown out, mostly because they lacked signatures, said Bexar County Elections Administrator Jacque Callanen.

The bill already has been approved in the House and now heads to the governor’s desk.